Israel launched on Tuesday a wave of airstrikes on Houthi-held areas of western Yemen, an escalation in regional tensions that began with its claims, overnight on September 29, 2024, that the Houthis had fired a missile at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
Israeli forces acknowledged that indeed some power plants and seaport facilities in Ras Isa and Hodeidah had been hit. According to reports filed by Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV, at least four died, including a port worker and three electrical engineers.
The airstrikes have severely damaged infrastructure in Yemen’s most important port city, Hodeidah, and reports have been coming up with immense power outages. Local residents reported that great parts of the city were severely impacted due to power cuts. Israel justified the strikes as retaliatory measures for the Houthis’ increasing missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory and the interest of Israel within the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Israel’s military accused the Houthis of collaborating closely with Iran and Iraqi militias in a bid to undermine regional stability. “Over the past year, the Houthis have operated under Iranian direction to attack Israel, disrupt regional stability, and threaten global freedom of navigation,” the Israeli military said.
In response, the Houthi leadership described the air raids as “foiled attempts to deter support for the Palestinian cause” and said the Yemeni people will not be broken by such aggression. “The Israeli aggression will only strengthen the resolve of the Yemeni people,” the group’s Supreme Political Council stated.
In a greater sense, the air raids occur at a time when the region is increasing the level of conflict everywhere. Israel has been unleashing heavy attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, and the Yemen attack marks the expanding horizon of war. Iran, which is one of the major supporters of the Houthi rebels, issued a statement condemning the airstrikes as “inhumane” and rapping the United States of backing Israel’s role in the acts. Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry elaborated that the attacks only increase the mess in the Middle East.
Hamas in its reaction issued a statement condemning the air strikes, professing to stand with the Yemeni people and the Houthis even as it branded Israel’s actions as “dangerous escalation.”
The Houthis have been attacking Israel since November 2023, firing missiles and drones in what they claim are gestures of solidarity with Palestinians who are being attacked by Israel in Gaza. The situation in this region is not stable as Israeli retaliations threaten to destabilize the Middle East even further.
International opinion remains restless on the potential of an all-out regional war as Israeli attacks continue to displace huge numbers of civilians in Lebanon, with the recent conflict not seeming to let up.
The situation brings a serious challenge to peace and stability in the region as Houthis vow to maintain their stance and as Israel continues with its military response.
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